2023/2024 Australian Cyclone Season (Aidan1493)
Tropical Cyclone Laura On September 30, a tropical low formed in the Timor Sea, and moved southwest, becoming Tropical Cyclone Laura on October 1. Laura remained a cyclone for just 12 hours, and the remnant low continued to move southwest, dissipating on October 3. Tropical Cyclone Murray Approximately 500km northwest of Broome, a persistent, but fairly disorganised band of cloud formed into a tropical low, on October 22. The low meandered southwest, managing to successfully develop into Cyclone Murray on October 24. Murray then made a southerly turn, and weakened, being downgraded into a tropical low the day after becoming a cyclone. Ex-Tropical cyclone Murray hit Karratha on October 28, and lashed the town with heavy rainfall. The remnant depression drifted southeast for a few more days, after striking land dumping further rain over the centre of Western Australia. Tropical Low 03U A low formed well off the Queensland coast on October 27, and slowly drifted south, dissipating on October 30 with no effect on land. Tropical Cyclone Nicole The precursor low to Cyclone Nicole formed within the Gulf of Carpentaria on November 7. Almost stationary, the low rapidly intensified into Tropical Cyclone Nicole the following day. Soon after formation, Nicole picked up speed and crossed Far North Queensland, killing eight people in the resulting flood. By November 10, Nicole had crossed into the Coral Sea, but had been downgraded to an Ex-Tropical Cyclone. Rapid intensification caused Nicole to become a Tropical Cyclone once again late on November 11, and began following the Queensland coastline, before rapidly dissipating on November 13, 200km east of Mackay. Tropical Low 05U A small, very weak tropical low formed well to the west of Western Australia, and lasted barely 12 hours as a low, before dissipation. Tropical Cyclone Otis On November 27, approximately 200km east of the Cocos Islands, a tropical low had formed. The low moved south southeast, being dubbed Tropical Cyclone Otis by November 30. Otis was initially forecast to hit Carnarvon as a Category 3 cyclone, and on December 1, Otis began moving south. Otis began encountering higher than expected wind shear as it moved south, which greatly hindered development, and caused Otis to decay rapidly. Otis had fully dissipated by December 3, around 250km west of Carnavon, having no eventual impact on land. Severe Tropical Cyclone Penny On the same day as the precursor low to Tropical Cyclone Otis had formed, a second tropical low formed in the Arafura Sea and moved south, impacting Darwin on November 28. The low moved to the west, offshore of the Western Australia/Northern Territory coastline, intensifying into Cyclone Penny. The cyclone gradually turned towards the southwest, intensifying all the while into a Category 4 Tropical Cyclone on December 1, approximately 500km north of Broome. Penny continued to track southwest down the WA coastline over the following days, before making a gradual turn south on December 4. Penny began to weaken as it encountered the cooler waters of the higher latitudes, weakening below cyclone intensity 200km west of Shark Bay. The remnant low (and the following decayed remnants) continued to drift south, then southeast towards Perth, causing moderate to heavy downpours to most areas from Yanchep to Mandurah. Tropical Low 08U 08U formed within the Timor Sea on December 19. The low meandered slowly southwest without intensifying, eventually dispersing on December 23. Severe Tropical Cyclone Robert The precursor low to Cyclone Robert formed over the Cocos Islands on New Year’s Day. Moving steadily southeast, the low slowly intensified into Tropical Cyclone Robert late on January 3. Soon after reaching cyclonic intensity, Robert experienced a sudden, yet spectacular, intensification, reaching Category 3 status merely 6 hours after initially becoming a Category 1 storm. Robert maintained Category 3 intensity for a few more days, while making a gradual shift towards the west. As Robert moved west, it began to weaken slowly, being downgraded to a tropical low on January 8, and had fully dissipated the following day. Tropical Low 10U A tropical low formed within the Coral Sea on January 7th. The first of three tropical lows to form within seven days of each other, 10U remained near stationary during its lifetime and dissipated on January 9. Tropical Low 11U 11U was the second of three tropical lows to form within the space of seven days. Slightly stronger than the first low, Tropical Low 10U was, 11U formed within the Timor Sea early on January 11, and drifted eastwards, impacting Darwin later that day, killing one person in the process. 11U moved steadily eastwards over Arnhem Land, before dissipating on January 13th, just before crossing into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Severe Tropical Cyclone Silvia The third and final low to form within a seven day period, and the only low of the three to form into a cyclone, Silvia was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones to hit Australia in its history. The precursor low formed within the Timor Sea around 12pm on January 13, just two days after Tropical Low 11U formed within the same area. The low drifted slowly west southwest, intensifying quickly into a tropical cyclone late on January 13, and reaching Category 3 status early on January 14. Silvia made a turn closer to the southwest, still moving slowly, and intensified further, reaching Category 4 status at midnight on January 15, and rapidly reached Category 5 status later that day. Silvia continued to strengthen as it moved slowly but steadily southwest, reaching 1 minute wind speeds of 260km/h+ on January 17. By midnight on January 19, Silvia had begun turning south, and was forecast to hit the town of Exmouth head on later that day. Silvia picked up a little speed, and made landfall at Exmouth at around 3.30 in the afternoon of January 19. Wild winds and heavy rain lashed a wide area of land, from Onslow down to Coral Bay. 16 people were killed within the areas affected by Silvia’s landfall, and the damage in the affected areas was estimated at $1.5 billion, making Silvia one of the most costly cyclones ever to hit Australia. Silvia moved southsoutheast, weakening as it crossed the WA continent, but still unleashing torrential rains and high winds, killing a further five people. Silvia was finally downgraded to a tropical low over Kalgoorlie late on the 22nd, and fully dispersed over Esperance early on the 23rd. The name ‘Silvia’ was retired by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, never to be used again by a cyclone. Tropical Low 13U On February 3, 100km to the east of Far North Queensland, a fairly persistent band of cloud cover formed into a tropical low. The low moved steadily southeast, and intensified, but not enough to reach cyclonic intensity. By February 7, high levels of windshear had caused 13U’s rapid dissipation. Tropical Low 14U Another low which didn’t quite reach cyclonic intensity, 14U formed around 500km north of Port Headland on February 16. The low moved steadily to the west throughout its lifetime, dispersing on February 21. Tropical Low 15U 15U formed within the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf on February 28. Yet another tropical low which almost reached tropical cyclone intensity, 15U initially moved west, skirting the northernmost regions of Western Australia, before turning to the southwest on March 2. By March 4, 15U had dissipated, well away from land. Category:Australian region cyclone seasons Category:Aidan1493’s Australian Cyclone Season